Budget Draws Praise, Criticism On Native Issues
Friday, March 05, 2010 at 14:56
The Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative has been saved.
Officials with the program feared it was on the chopping block, but Ottawa has included it in a $285-million commitment in the budget to Aboriginal health programs.
The general manager of the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative says she’s happy the program has been renewed.
Dina Bruyere says this should allow projects to continue uninterrupted at 600 locations around the country.
However, she does note the commitment this time is only for two years, not five years like the previous agreement.
The Aboriginal Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy is also covered by the funding.
Budget 2010 promises $53 million more to child and family service agencies on reserves.
The money is spread over two years and the government says it will fall in line with the prevention-based approach it launched in 2007.
Ottawa also says $10 million will be spent over two years to address the disturbingly high number of Aboriginal women who have gone missing or murdered.
The funds are apparently going to be funnelled out through the Department of Justice.
Details are expected in the coming months.
The Native Women’s Association of Canada says it is pleased “the Harper Government has made the fundamental human rights of Aboriginal women a priority”.
The association says the federal government has “made a firm commitment to take concrete actions to ensure that law enforcement and the justice system meet the needs of Aboriginal women and their families”.
One group that appears to have been left out in the budget’s written text is the Metis.
The Metis are not mentioned specifically anywhere in the 424-page document.
Meanwhile, The Canadian Federation of Students is blasting the budget for failing to improve post-secondary funding.
The Federation says Jim Flaherty’s financial plan doesn’t address the gap between the number of Aboriginal students who want to go to school, and those who have enough money to do so.
For his part, Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl says the government is still reviewing the Post-Secondary Student Support Program.
Strahl says a review of the program has concluded, but the government is still accepting ideas on how to improve its overall performance.
Many First Nations leaders have said they fear the government will phase out grants to treaty students in favour of repayable loans.
While no additional funds were earmarked for post-secondary students, $30 million in additional funding was found for First Nations high-schoolers.